Pretzel venture lets students taste success

NEW BREMEN - More than 1,500 chocolate-dipped pretzels have turned fourth-graders into budding entrepreneurs.

The students this week made, advertised and sold the sweet desserts as part of a unit on entrepreneurialism.

The project, orchestrated by teacher Darlene Gilberg, came about as a way to teach students entrepreneurial concepts in an engaging way. As Gilberg explained, the state requires fourth-graders to learn industry terms and concepts such as labor, capital, natural resources and profit.

"I needed something hands-on to teach these big concepts to kids. And actually years ago we did this with ornaments but it fizzled out. Kids weren't as excited about the ornaments. But everybody loves chocolate," Gilberg explained.

On Monday, students along with 20 adult volunteers cranked out about 1,500 pretzels, drizzled with chocolate and dotted with sprinkles. The production line runs smoothly now, Gilberg said, but three years ago when it first started, the project's resounding success led to a bit of a last-minute scramble for more pretzels.

"We had to limit it to two pretzels per person each day after selling out the first year. Some kids brought in $20 bills and bought 40," Gilberg said. "So I had my mom, my neighbors, everybody come over to my house. That night we made more so we would have something to sell. I've learned my lesson."

Last year, the class had roughly $500 in profits after paying back their teacher for the supplies, an important part of the lesson. The $500 profit, made from charging only 50 cents per pretzel rod, went to various charities chosen by students. Dayton Children's Hospital, Smile Train, Defenders of Wildlife and Make-A-Wish Foundation were among the charities chosen last year.

In addition to making and selling the pretzels, the fourth-graders were responsible for marketing. They made posters in the computer lab and developed ads to be read or sung on the announcements for the whole school to hear.

Gilberg feels the hands-on approach helps her students fully absorb what she's trying to teach.

"It's amazing what they (state standards) expect these kids to learn. It's pretty intense," she said. "That's why I try to make it a fun project. To learn about producers, consumers, all that, they can't apply it unless they use it."

It was clear the students had absorbed the required concepts as they fielded questions about their pretzel venture like little titans of industry.

"We have to use natural resources to make a product," Mackenzie Bornhorst explained. "We're gonna use chocolate, pretzels and sprinkles as our natural resources, and we're going to be the labor."

Alivia Dammeyer added her 2 cents' worth about the basics of advertising.

"It's important to get the customer's attention and make it so they want to buy it," she said.

One student needed no such convincing.

"They're gonna be delicious," Noah Kelly said.